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Erica Fox’s husband says she was nonetheless in her wetsuit and sporting a shark band designed to discourage assaults when her physique was recovered from the ocean six days after she went lacking throughout a gaggle swim.
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The discovery of a beloved open-water swimmer’s body on a distant Santa Cruz County seashore has shaken California’s Central Coast, leaving a close-knit neighborhood combating grief and disbelief.
Erica Fox, 55, was greater than a seasoned athlete—she was a cornerstone of Monterey Bay’s open-water swimming tradition and a permanent supply of inspiration for many who shared her ardour.
Fox vanished on Dec. 21 throughout a weekly swim with the Kelp Krawlers, the group she co-founded, off Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. Witnesses reported a potential shark sighting moments earlier than she disappeared beneath the floor. Despite an intensive Coast Guard search masking 84 sq. nautical miles, hope light as days handed. Her physique was recovered Dec. 27, nonetheless in her wetsuit, Garmin watch, and sporting a shark-deterrent band.
“She didn’t want to live in fear,” stated her husband, Jean-Francois Vanreusel. “She lived her life fully.” Vanreusel, who was swimming alongside Fox when the incident occurred, informed The Mercury News that his spouse “passed in the place she loved.”
Erica Fox died from suspected shark assault close to Lover’s Point
Officials say Erica Fox is useless after a physique was discovered from a suspected shark assault close to Lover’s Point.
Fox – Ktvu
Who was Erica Fox?
Fox wasn’t simply an athlete—she was a frontrunner within the native swim neighborhood. As co-founder of the Kelp Krawlers, she inspired others to embrace the problem of Monterey Bay’s chilly, unpredictable waters. Friends recall her enthusiasm each Sunday morning, rain or shine, and her capacity to make newcomers really feel welcome.
“She was the heartbeat of our group,” one swimmer posted on social media. “Her energy made the ocean less intimidating.”
Fox’s father, James Fox, described his daughter as “kind, empathetic and disciplined,” including that she had competed in two half-Ironmans, numerous triathlons, and for twenty years braved the frigid waters of the Escape From Alcatraz race. “I’m in shock,” he informed NBC News. “Erica was doing something she really loved.”
How many individuals are attacked by sharks every year?
As tributes pour in, conversations about ocean security are gaining momentum. Fox wore a shark-deterrent band throughout her swim—a reminder that even precautions can’t remove danger. Local officers say they are going to evaluation security protocols for fashionable swim spots, although specialists warning in opposition to fear-driven selections.
Marine biologists stress that shark encounters stay uncommon alongside California’s coast. Since 1993, solely six fatalities have been attributed to white sharks in state waters. “Great whites are not actively hunting humans—they’re following their food sources,” stated Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach. Most bites, he added, are instances of mistaken id.
Since 1993, six human fatalities have been attributed to nice white sharks in California waters, in accordance with state and worldwide shark assault knowledge. Nationwide, the International Shark Attack File studies a median of 65 documented shark assaults a 12 months, with 47 unprovoked bites recorded globally in 2024.
For Fox’s family members, the statistics provide little solace. “The only comfort I find,” Vanreusel stated, “is that every Sunday, Erica was excited to go in the water.”
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY; Roseann Cattani, USA TODAY Network
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